What's making news on the Rail Trail?
![Northern Rivers Rail Trail ranked in top 10% of attractions globally](https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/wp-content/themes/northernriversrailtrail/images/aspect-ratio-blog.png)
![Northern Rivers Rail Trail earns prestigious engineering excellence award](https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/wp-content/themes/northernriversrailtrail/images/aspect-ratio-blog.png)
![Rail trail an exciting recreational pathway for locals and visitors alike](https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/wp-content/themes/northernriversrailtrail/images/aspect-ratio-blog.png)
![Northern Rivers Rail Trail workshop aims to boost local business opportunities](https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/wp-content/themes/northernriversrailtrail/images/aspect-ratio-blog.png)
![Celebrating first anniversary of Rail Trail opening](https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/wp-content/themes/northernriversrailtrail/images/aspect-ratio-blog.png)
![Northern Rivers Rail Trail welcomes over 100,000 guests in seven months](https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/wp-content/themes/northernriversrailtrail/images/aspect-ratio-blog.png)
![Northern Rivers Rail Trail launches business Connect Program](https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/wp-content/themes/northernriversrailtrail/images/aspect-ratio-blog.png)
![Expectations smashed as more than 70,000 use Rail Trail in first four months](https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/wp-content/themes/northernriversrailtrail/images/aspect-ratio-blog.png)
![Old meets new: Rail Trail takes out top gong in National Trust Heritage Awards](https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/wp-content/themes/northernriversrailtrail/images/aspect-ratio-blog.png)
![Pedal, party and play! Festivities to mark Rail Trail opening](https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/wp-content/themes/northernriversrailtrail/images/aspect-ratio-blog.png)
![Top tips for exploring new Rail Trail](https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/wp-content/themes/northernriversrailtrail/images/aspect-ratio-blog.png)
![Spectacular first stage of Rail Trail officially opens](https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/wp-content/themes/northernriversrailtrail/images/aspect-ratio-blog.png)
![Rail trail anticipation builds as construction plans released](https://www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/wp-content/themes/northernriversrailtrail/images/aspect-ratio-blog.png)
Awards and achievements
Winner: Tweed Shire Council for the Northern Rivers Rail Trail
Category: 1C – Design and Construction of a public works project greater than $5 million
The Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) awarded the Tweed section of the NRRT top honours for Engineering Excellence in Category 1C – Design and Construction of a Public Works Project – Project greater than $5 million. The award is testament to the collaboration between government, industry and the community to achieve a great tourism outcome for the region and cements the Rail Trail as a benchmark for future rail trail projects.
Winner: Northern Rivers Rail Trail, Zone Landscape Architecture & Tweed Shire Council
Category: Best Regional/Rural Industry Contribution Award
Regional/Rural Australia includes all of the towns, small cities and areas that lie beyond the major capital cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin, Hobart and Canberra), who make a significant contribution through community initiatives which contribute to the parks and leisure industry. These projects can be play spaces, events, tourism, trails, programs, re-purposing of facilities and environmental initiatives.
These annual awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding initiatives and innovative efforts of ‘the people behind the places’ delivering a range of social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits to regional communities.
Winner: Northern Rivers Rail Trail – NSW Public Works
Category: NSW Regional Project
The Tweed section of the NRRT was recognised as the Best Regional Project in NSW by the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM). The achievement is testament to the dedication, skill and tireless efforts of NSW Public Works in working with Tweed Shire Council to deliver this project.
First Place: Northern Rivers Rail Trail
Category: Conservation – Landscape
Council’s commitment to preserving and celebrating the heritage of the 24km Tweed section of the NRRT was acknowledged with first place in the Conservation – Landscape category award. Most notably, a commitment to highlighting the Aboriginal cultural heritage of the region by incorporating a range of storytelling techniques along the trail, as well as to the region’s rail history, including the restoration of 16 of the Trail’s 26 bridges and 2 tunnels along the track.
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View past newsletters:
- July 2024 – Welcome to winter – our most popular time of year on the Rail Trail!
- May 2024 – What’s happening in Tweed, Richmond and Lismore
- February 2024 – Richmond opening details and Lismore progress news
- December 2023 – Happy holidays, and thanks for a great year!
- September 2023 – Important updates and alerts this spring!
- August 2023 – Important updates and alerts on the brink of spring!
- July 2023 – Over 70,500 have visited the Rail Trail so far!
- June 2023 – Tell us about your experience.
- May 2023 – Celebrating two months of success.
- February 2023 – The Tweed section opens at midday, Wednesday 1 March
- January 2023 – Tweed section opening 1 March